Romiose and Julius
by KittyPurryHGHP
Summary: Rose Granger-Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy were doomed to be rocky from the start. Scorpius is willing to throw away his name, heritage, and legacy for her. Rose doesn't know where her loyalties lie or where in the world she belongs. Now they have to decide which voices in their heads to listen to—their parents' or their hearts. Rated T for a YA appeal instead of children's.
1. Modest Proposals and Fiery Tempers

_"Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."_

Rose had always known where Scorpius Malfoy stood in her father's eyes, and she had always wanted to please her parents. With all her mother's intelligence and logic from the beginning, she had also always known that she would someday have to choose between her parent's approval and the love of her life.

She glanced slowly into Scorpius' awaiting eyes, not knowing if she had the words to respond to him.

"Scorpius… you know how much I love you and care about you…" she watched the light and positive anticipation scurry away from his face. He didn't know it killed her to see him so distraught. Confidence turned to confusion, confusion morphed into pained understanding and a bitter prep for a cold shouldering.

"I just…" Rose chewed on every word. "I have to have some time to think about this; it's all so sudden—"

"And by 'time to think,' do you mean 'time to talk to your family about this?'" Scorpius asked with defeat in his voice, breaking eye contact as he spoke.

"Excuse me?" Rose scoffed.

"Because this is your decision, Rose, not your parents' choice." he added bitterly. "If you wanted your whole family on board you would have to realize—"

"I know, it would never be able to happen, but—"

"You've got to accept that someone's not going to be happy here. I've come to terms with how my family sees you."

" I know." Rose snapped, seeming antagonized. "But I've spent my entire life making my parents happy and thinking for just one person or even myself over them… it's a new concept for me, Scorpius!"

She took a deep breath and sighed. "I love you, Scorp, but I don't know if I'm ready to give them up for you."

Scorpius looked furious and Rose immediately knew she had not chosen the right words.

"What I mean is… I'm still young. I'm nineteen; I need to find security in myself before I take such a big step with someone else."

"No, Rose. You can't try to word your way out of this one. You claim you want security in yourself, but you're going to go to your family to find it; that makes SO much sense! You're bloody brilliant, Rosie; I know when you're being honest about your feelings because you don't sound so ludicrous! Why don't you say what you really think, huh?"

"This isn't communicating, if that's what you're looking for, Malfoy!" Rose spat at him. She intended to sting him where it mattered most— the Montague-esque name he'd denied— but Scorpius had a counter-curse for it.

"Well, you know there's a Weasley in the room when it gets heated from either their flaming hair or their flaming temper! I gave up everything for you in the confidence that you would do the same thing for me, but I guess I was wrong. I don't care what my family thinks of you; I care about you and only you."

"Scorp, please, if you would just—" Rose pleaded.

"You say you want your parents' approval, but we both know it's not your whole family that's the problem, it's your dad!" he continued in blatant ignorance.

"As if you never tried to follow in the footsteps of your own father!" she countered.

"Fine! Our fathers and grandfathers suck because they can't stand the thought of us. But if we love each other then are we supposed to let them get in our way?"

"I never said no to you, Scorpius! If you would just listen to me for once!" Rose shouted, standing up to assert her turn to speak. "I hate it so much when you interrupt me like this. All I said was I needed time to think it over. So what if I talk to my parents? They're still my parents whether or not they like you. I'm just so done with lying to them all the time; I'm tired of lying to my dad. The only things I've ever done behind his back have been for you." She lowered herself back down to an awestruck and confused Scorpius. "I've been lying to him about you since my first year at Hogwarts," she said calmly, "and I'm not going to marry you without telling him."

She had been staring into his forest green eyes through her whole speech, but she was waiting for him to return the gesture before she continued.

"I don't care about his approval anymore. I'm moving past that, slowly but surely. I'm a big girl now." she said with a gentle smile. "But big as I've grown, I am still Ron Weasley's daughter, and he deserves to know when I'm engaged and who I get engaged to."

Scorpius chuckled lightly. "So… is that a yes or what?" he asked dumbly with the soft and casual cooling-off smile Rose had fallen in love with before anything else. She reached for Scorpius' hand and he reluctantly extended it to her.

"That's a yes, if you can ask me again in front of my family."

 _Ron and Hermione Weasley bantered back and forth about the pale-faced, pale-haired boy just across the way. He stood stiffly in front of an older version of himself and a tall, slender, sleek-haired brunette woman whom the couple only recognized the face of, but neither could recall her name, and Rose could tell the boy was faking his confidence in front of them. Rose was very good at reading body language and social cues; she considered it her superpower that she as an individual had and not many (or at least not all) wizards or witches shared._

 _"Hey! Teddy's back there, just seen him! And guess what he's doing? Snogging Victoire!" her cousin James announced so the entire platform could hear. A majority of the Weasley clan was present to see children of varying ages in the same generation off to another year at Hogwarts, and the news sent a few of them into an uproar while others dismissed it as one of James' attention-seeking shams._

 _"Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! Snogging_ our _Victoire! Our cousin!" varying Weasley-Potters warbled._

 _Her cousin Albus looked as though he was getting a very stern talking-to from his father, and her Aunt Ginny's covert expression as she distracted her daughter from the situation agreed with her. She heard her Uncle Harry utter "… Severus Potter…" and knew middle names were not typically used in her family unless someone was in trouble. Albus shared her age, so they had grown up together and gotten along so well that they were best friends in addition to being cousins._

 _"All aboard!" called a conductor of the train._

 _The intimidating scarlet engine before her made her nervous and hopeful for the year ahead of her. She glanced back at the boy her parents couldn't agree upon and caught his eye for a flashing moment. He quickly turned his attention back to his doting mother and pompously proud father before collecting his carry-on bags and making his way to the closest entrance._

 _"I put your trolley up there for you already, Rose." James said, catching her by surprise. "Here's your owl." He handed her a small, brown, tawny owl in its cage and Rose crinkled her nose playfully at her pet._

 _"Aww, Nibby." she giggled as her owl tucked her face down away from the intimidating crowds. "Thank you, James." she said with a kind nod as she caught her mother's prompting gaze. She pulled the familiar fabric of her old jumper around her collarbone for a sense of security and carried Nibby's cage with a bag full of books and journals and pens to entertain her while she journeyed to her new school. She wrapped her full arms around her mother, then her father who remarked:_

 _"Rosie! It's ten fifty-four. You're going to miss the train and you do NOT want to find out what happens if you miss the train. Go!"_

 _Rose allowed herself one last look at the pale-haired boy who had captured her interest all morning long then converted her focus back to the task at hand: not making a fool of herself before the school year began. Neither she nor the boy were close enough to notice that their steps were in sync as they boarded The Hogwarts Express._


	2. Chocolate Frogs

_"Quit acting like you're so worried, Rosie!" James taunted. "You're Hermione Granger's daughter. You've got nothing to worry about."_

Don't you see such high standards are the reason I'm so worried? _Rose thought to herself._

 _"Not to mention, you're a Weasley. You're basically guaranteed a spot in Gryffindor." Albus added, obviously still fixated on his own house stature the way he had been for at least the past year._

Everyone is their own person. I could still be in Ravenclaw despite my parents, and, of course, you could still be in Slytherin. _Not that Rose would ever say that to his face._

 _"I'm not nervous, James. Sure, my stomach is doing somersaults, but it's all out of excitement." she lied._

 _James led his brother and cousin to a compartment right smack dab in the middle of the train. Rose tried to swallow the lump in her throat. As Potter boys, James and Albus were probably already used to the attention, but Rose wanted to avoid any innocent passers-by with 'good intentions,' even if they didn't drop by to see her. James swung the compartment door open._

 _"Alicia Doyle!" he cried with a forced swagger he couldn't come by naturally as a twelve-year-old. He thought he had a winning smile and stunning smolder after taking so many pictures with his dad, but Rose wasn't too sure of how accurate that was._

 _"James Potter." the girl in the compartment noted, unimpressed. Alicia swung her tight, shoulder blade-length curls back to the window where she waved her last goodbyes to her family._

 _"Where's your brother?" asked James._

 _"Mingling somewhere. He said he'd come back... I might have to ditch you all if he does. I see you've brought your own pests." Alicia raised her eyebrows and locked eyes with Albus, who shifted uncomfortably where he stood. Was that all James saw her as? A pest just like his brother?_

 _"Yeah. Well, one of 'em anyway. Rose is my cousin, and she keeps to herself mostly. Or she at least stays out of my business. The real bugger is Albus." James confessed, nodding in his brother's direction._

 _"You bug me a lot more than I bug you." Albus said pointedly. He started shuffling around his older sibling as James was still blocking the entrance to the compartment._

 _Rose kept one hand wrapped firmly on the handle of Nibby's cage and the other underneath it for support as she squeezed past James after Albus made a path. She situated herself close to the window so she would hopefully be left to her own thoughts. Her gaze was caught by her strong, proud mother and her overly emotional father. She gave them a little half-hearted smile and a wave goodbye, getting one last look at her little brother, Hugo._

Oh, come on, Rosie! Don't tell me you're missing the most obnoxious ginger you've ever known before the train has even pulled out of the station! _she scolded herself. The train lurched into motion and she just started to get settled into place._

 _Suddenly, Alicia screeched from behind her. Rose jumped out of the seat and tried to assess the situation when she saw a brown blur shoot past her nose. It smacked into the window and the four students in the compartment got a real chance to look at it. James started laughing maniacally, but Rose just smiled with a hint of relief._

 _"Christ, Alicia, what're you so scared of a chocolate frog for?" James sputtered._

 _"I didn't know it was chocolate! Excuse my body for functioning properly when it feels threatened." Alicia shot in defense._

 _"You didn't set that in here, did you, James?" Albus asked suspiciously._

 _"Ha! I_ wish _I had set it!" James snorted. The frog was poised to launch itself back at them, and Rose instinctively thrust her hand out to catch it._

 _"I think I'll just take care of it outside." she said as she made her way back to the hallway._

 _"Oh, c'mon, Rosie, you're not even going to share the free snack? What are you going to do, set it free to go live by a lily pond?" James asked._

 _"It doesn't belong to us." she responded plainly. She didn't want to listen to James' arguments about the not even being real, nor did she want to have to explain how uncomfortable chocolate frogs made her in general. She, like her mother, had never been able to eat one. If it wasn't charmed to hop around all lifelike, maybe she'd have managed to stomach one by then. But the moving candied amphibian wasn't anything she had ever enjoyed eating. She pressed on._

 _"It's a frog... made out of chocolate. Damn, Scorpius, you're such a First Year." said a faint voice to the right._

 _"Hey, I'm a pureblood, at least I know what I'm doing."_

 _Rose looked up to see the pale boy from the platform walking slowly with a tall, angry looking boy in at least Fourth or Fifth Year peering into various compartments in search of the evanescing toad. The elder was flicking a pentagonal card between his fingers._

 _"Yeah? Well, you look like you ain't never seen a chocolate frog before." the older boy spat._

 _At first, Rose thought the taunts were all in a dirty fun. But looking further into the Malfoy boy's uncomfortable eyes, she realized that maybe this wasn't a pair she wanted to get tangled with before her first term even started._

 _Without her approval, caution flew to the wind so she briskly approached the boys and held the chocolate frog out to them._

 _"Looking for this?" she asked simply and sweetly._

What in God's name are you thinking, Rose?!

 _"Yes... actually." answered the Malfoy. What was his name again... Scorpio? Scorpion? Nonsense. Who would name their son Scorpion?_

 _He awkwardly accepted the frog and glanced up at the taller of the two, silently asking for guidance._

 _"What 'choo still doin' here, ginger?" Tall Boy shook his head abruptly with a scoff as if his prompt for her dismissal had been obvious before. Rose almost let her head sink into her shoulders, then she thought better of it. "Wait jus' a minute. Ain't choo a Weasley?"_

 _"Just because I have red hair, doesn't mean I'm automatically a Weasley." she rolled her eyes._

Oh my God. Rose Dorothy Weasley, you actually have a death wish. You're going to die today, that's that.

 _"So you ain't a Weasley?"_

 _"Well, there's quite a lot of those and we aren't all ginger anymore with all of the people who've married in and really-"_

 _"Rose... right?" the boy's hair was definitely a platinum blond up close. How did that color even occur naturally? "That's what my dad said anyway. He said to look out for Potter's two boys and the older Weasley girl. You're the kid of the brightest witch of their age; Dad bets you'll be just as smart if you're anything like your mother."_

 _Rose stood frozen where she was. She knew her parent's knew Mr. Malfoy from their time at Hogwarts, but she could barely remember the boy's name herself. How did he know so much about her? Why would his parents have so much to say about hers?_

 _"Unless you turn into a lazy oaf who jumps to conclusions like your father."_

 _"Oi!" Rose yelped impulsively. She gave Scorpius Malfoy a hard glare and decided that debate would not be settled in just a few moments. She wanted to sit down and enjoy the ride while she prepped her mind for a year of hard work and not worry about stupid insults from a boy who wouldn't be any better than what little she had heard of his own father. Not that she would stop fighting him, of course. Not that she wouldn't argue her case to him again. But she had seven more years with this boy, maybe more if they ended up in the same career field. Rose would not go gentle into this good fight, but she had plenty of time to do it. She merely turned on her heel with a new determination to do just as her father said to do:_

 _Kick the boy's arse in class._


	3. Plus-One

Rose had always loved the house she lived in growing up, especially since she never had to share a room with her pest of a brother, Hugo. The carpet was worn after having it replaced only five years before when Rose and her brother weren't even home except for the holidays, and while most things in her room had been rearranged or cleaned her curtains remained the same. Rose always felt most secure when there was a sense of familiarity about something. It was good to be home.

She twisted her hair around her pointer finger as she looked pensively into the mirror hanging in her redecorated bedroom. It had been converted into a guest room now that she was grown. Growing up hadn't even been a realistic thought to her until she was searching for a flat of her own.

 _You can do this, Rose. You can do_ _this._ The mantra repeated in her head as it had over the past few days.

Rose scurried through the hallway until she reached the parlor where she found the ceiling fan being cleaned by a charmed duster while her mother knelt at their bookshelf and her father laying on the sofa reading today's issue of the _Prophet_. She couldn't ask her father's opinion of permission for anything related to Scorpius Malfoy and expect the answer she needed, but she also knew she couldn't keep him out of the loop forever. Her mother knew Rose and Scorpius were close and that they had feelings for each other. She had even been the first one Rose told when they started dating in Fifth Year.

He was an escape from her huge family whom she could find around every corner of Hogwarts. He wasn't closed-minded or bigoted about muggle-borns like his father or purebloods like hers. He shared her opinions and they debated often. They fought once in a while, but not about trivial matters. They were always able to work through their problems. Rose truly loved Scorpius like no one she'd ever known before.

It was settled. Ask Mum, make sure Dad heard, and be done.

"Mum," she enunciated, "Do you think Scorpius Malfoy could come to our family dinner next week?"

"Scorpius Malfoy?!" Ron yelped as he straightened his posture on the couch. "What on earth would _Scorpius Malfoy_ be doing at a Weasley dinner?" he squeaked.

"Hush now, Ronald." Hermione ordered. Then, to Rose, she said: "You know I don't mind having him over once in a while-"

" _We,_ Hermione, as a 'team-of-marital-success,' have discussed this." Ron interrupted.

"I haven't finished, Ron. You know I hate it when you won't let me finish." Hermione said with a glare Ron knew better than to argue with. "As I was saying, Rosie, _I_ don't mind having him there, but certain Weasleys seem to dislike the idea." Although her head was turned to her daughter, Hermione held her glare at Ron.

"Now, see, that's _much_ more like it." Ron nodded with satisfaction.

"If your father was away so it was just us and Hugo-"

"Oh, no, Hermione, if that boy is ever here it's under _my watchful eye_."

"Shut _up_ , Ronald. If it were just the three of us, there wouldn't be so much of a problem. But this is more than supper on a Saturday night, darling, this is the Weasley clan's annual 'banquet.' I doubt your Granddad would be as welcoming as you would like."

"I just need a plus-one approval from you or from Grandma; I don't need a pureblood debate from Dad and Granddad."

"I wouldn't recommend specifying who your plus-one is, but if you owl your grandmother and let her know you'll be bringing one, that's fine with me." Hermione said, setting her wand down on the end table and stretching her arms out.

"Sounds great, Mum. I'll write her now." Rose said as she nearly skipped out of the room. She turned and attached herself to the wall as soon as she was out of sight and leaned in to eavesdrop.

"'That's fine with you,' I see." Ron said bitterly.

"Oh, Ronald." Hermione scoffed.

"Do I need to remind you that _you_ suggested we make 'team decisions' in this relationship?"

"Now don't you try to turn this on me. I had to _make_ you agree to that." Hermione tried to ignore him and go back to organizing the bookshelf for the thousandth time in her life. Every time there wasn't any other work to be done around the house, Hermione was organizing the bookshelf. Sometimes alphabetically by author, sometimes by title, other times by genre, and sometimes she shifted just to fit the new books in.

"And you're not holding up your end of the bargain." Ron said flatly.

"I'm just trying to think of how Rosie feels." Hermione added exasperatedly. Though she wanted to snoop longer, a clatter from her bedroom called to her attention. She had her answer and she knew her dad wasn't too happy about it. That was all she needed before scampering back up the stairs. Her aging tawny owl was awaiting her at her desk.

"Nibby, you made it!" Rose cried. Nibby was already living longer than the average owl like her, so Rose had been extra rewarding lately toward her treasured pet. She used the small watering can she and her brother once used as a pool toy to fill Nibby's water tray. " _Accio Aluco_ " she called, summoning her specially-made owl treats. She opened the bag and handed one to Nibby who accepted it gratefully. Rose collected the small envelope from her and the owl settled into a resting position. She chuckled at Scorpius' most recent edition to the same envelope they'd been sending back and forth. Some months back, he hadn't been able to find an envelope to send a reply in, so he merely crossed out the 'Scorpius' Rose had written neatly in the center and wrote 'Rose' beneath it. It started a tradition between them of simply finding newer and funnier ways of re-addressing the envelope to the other.

 _Dear Rosie,_

 _I'm panicking. In all honesty, I am just panicking. How do I word a marriage proposal to fit some 'evening at the Weasley's place?' You know most men make a mini-monologue before actually spitting out the phrase 'Will You Marry Me?" I can't do it. Not when your family knows nothing about me other than the name I carry. I'm starting to realize why you wanted to go over things with all of them first. Do you think we could amend our deal? I simply tell your family how much you mean to me and then we announce that we're just engaged? You'd be under too much pressure to say 'no' if we I asked you again in front of everyone._

 _God, I should hate it when you're right. But you're right so often I guess I've just gotten used to it. Please reply soon; I might not sleep tonight in pure fear of everything._

 _Your Scorpius_

Rose grinned smugly as Scorpius had finally admitted to seeing her side of everything, but quickly wiped it away to assess the situation at hand. Say 'yes' now; be someone's fiancée the next time she saw her grandparents. Be all lined up to be Mrs. Scorpius Malfoy by the time she saw her best friend, Albus, next. _Scorpius and Rose Malfoy. Weasley To Wed Malfoy,_ an engagement announcement headline could say. The surreality of it all was dissolving, the thought of truly living her life next to Scorpius was becoming so tangible.

She quickly grabbed two pieces of parchment. On the first, she penned a concise but sweet letter to her Grandma Weasley, sending her love alongside asking for permission to bring an extra being to their holiday party. She knew the answer would be yes, since she had been so vague, and that Grandma might get over excited about it only to be disappointed by the sight of the Malfoy boy. Yet she hardly cared, she was nearly bursting with energy as she scribbled her signature at the bottom, folded the parchment over, and addressed it there, not bothering to find an envelope for it. She then reached for the envelope nearly drowned in ink, crossed out the most recent 'Rose' addition, and swirled some letters and various characters around to form something that nearly resembled her boyfriend's name. Finally, dipping her quill back into her ink, Rose took her time to neatly print three letters right in the center of the parchment:

 _Yes._

 ***A/N UPDATE***

 **Hi, guys! I'm sorry it's taking me so long to write Chapter 4. It's coming and I'm doing my best to make it the best it can be. Thanks for your patience and thank you for taking interest in my story. It will be up soon... *maximum* end of the month, to give me enough time to work on it. School started up again and I've been swamped with some other writing projects, but it's coming... it's coming... I promise. Love you all!**

 **~Kitty**


	4. The Sorting

"SLYTHERIN!" _the Sorting Hat yelped through the Great Hall. Rose rolled her eyes. It wasn't a surprise the son of Draco and Astoria Malfoy was put into the house of the sly, the ambitious, the cunning. Though she felt obligated to pay attention to the surrounding First Years, as some could be her roommates soon, Rose was more worried about where she herself would be Sorted. To her parents—or her father, rather—it was obvious. She'd be going into Gryffindor just like virtually every member of the next generation of Weasleys. The only problem was she didn't feel very brave at all._

 _She selfishly wished Albus wasn't so worried about where he would be placed so he could be there to support her. They both had standards to live up to due to parentage, and she knew if she was placed in Gryffindor like her father wanted, she would always wonder "what if…" But she remembered how Al must be feeling. Just as anxious and confused and insecure as she was. Maybe they both needed to feel a little selfish. Maybe they both needed to think for themselves for this moment._

" _You okay, Albus?" Rose whispered, pulling herself out of her thoughts. She needed to be supportive of her friend._

" _My dad said it would be fine if I was in Slytherin," he replied, looking straight in front of him. "He said I'd be a brilliant wizard anyway. But I can't shake the feeling that I could… I dunno…"_

" _Go bad?" Rose suggested. Albus confirmed the notion with a nod. They both shifted uncomfortably where they stood._

" _I don't want to say you won't be in Slytherin," Rose began as 'Manning, Madelle,' moved swiftly to the Ravenclaw table, "Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor. You really never know. But I agree with your dad, you're going to be a great wizard anyway."_

" _What if I don't want to be a great wizard?"_

 _They didn't make eye contact with each other. They had already been rude enough, talking during the ceremony. The pair now just tried to make it look like they were paying attention. Only two new people had been Sorted over the course of their exchange; more and more Hat-stumpers were coming into existence. Rose and her cousin watched hopelessly with knotted intestines as 'Moody, Zhara,' was debated over for no more than thirty seconds and 'Nahklen, Gideon,' was promptly placed into Slytherin._

" _Potter, Albus," Professor Flitwick called with a giddy tone. Rose stood still whilst her cousin—her best friend—awkwardly took his place on the stool in front of the whole school._

 _Albus put on a brave face so Flitwick could jubilantly place the tattered Hat on his head._

"Oh, why so worried?" _the Hat asked. It was impossible to tell if the Hat actually pitied him or was so tired from Sorting so many people he knew how to fake it._ "I know you. I knew your father. And just like him, you have potential even in a house you'd rather not fit into. But your strengths and weaknesses are sure. The pros and cons have spoken. I have no doubt in my mind that you ought to be in SLYTHERIN!"

 _The dining hall normally erupted into applause after each Sorting, but the room remained silent following Albus' ruling. Even Professor McGonagall appeared to be stunned. Albus rose reluctantly from the stool and made his way to the Slytherin table as though anvils were attached to his feet._

 _After the silence came the whispers. Though indistinct, Rose knew what they were saying, and she knew Albus did too. The son of Harry and Ginny Potter, some of the most famous Gryffindors in the history of the Wizarding world, managed to get into Slytherin House. Albus Potter, whose only way of escaping the Weasley name was his father's last name, escaped Gryffindor._

 _If Albus wasn't in Gryffindor, could Rose be in a different house too?_

 _What if she was put in Ravenclaw? It was her cleverness which set her apart from her family, only sharing the trait with her mother. But, in a room full of people like her, would her intelligence fit in or stand out? Which one did she want?_

 _Rose was kind. Hardworking. She found strength in loyalty to her family and friends. Could that make her a Hufflepuff? Or did loyalty mean she was predestined to blend into the edicts set for her by her parents and multitude of uncles and aunts?_

 _Gryffindor. She had to be. She was a Weasley. Right?_

"My, my… what a frightened mind of complexity," _The Sorting Hat tittered._ "So many possibilities. So many Weasleys. That's what makes it so hard, isn't it? You feel you ought to be a Gryffindor yet it just doesn't feel right. I see where you're concerned, yet it's fairly plain to see. Loyalty and intelligence are all becoming traits, but this decision isn't as hard as you may think. You'll grow into who you are as you go along. You'll see. Better be…

"GRYFFINDOR!"

 _Rose thought she ought to have been relieved. The decision had been made. But what if they Sorted children too soon?_

 _She looked back to Albus, whose face had gone pale as he had found himself next to the Malfoy boy._ _A new question lodged itself into her head:_ What if they Sorted children too soon?

" _James, what—"_

" _Don't say a thing about it, Rosie," James ordered. "It's out of our control."_

 _Rose nodded solemnly._

" _Welcome, returning students of Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall's voice echoed through the hall. Silence fell over the students again. "And welcome, budding First Years. I trust the start of term will bring many lessons to you all, both academic and social. For it is here at Hogwarts that our young witches and wizards learn about communication and collaboration, friends and foes, right and wrong. You will learn how to hone your magical skills, but beyond your memorization of spell vocabulary, you will learn who you are. In the words of the late Professor Albus Dumbledore, 'It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.'"_

 _Rose had already been giving the headmistress her undivided attention, but that phrase abducted all of her focus._

Choices.

 _She missed the conclusion to McGonagall's speech, but snapped back into reality when she lost James behind a mountain of chicken and turkey legs. Murmurs and yelps of amazement mixed together and filled the Great Hall._

" _I've never seen this much food in all my life!" cried a girl next to Rose, who must have also been a first year. "I want some of everything!"_

" _So do I," said Rose. She wasn't lying, though her plate indicated otherwise. She had spooned a half a spoonful of mashed potatoes and a meager chicken leg onto the dish in front of her. Rose wished she could eat more. Her mother had explained how the Hogwarts house-elves prepared the impossible amount of food for the whole school. She didn't want to rudely turn her nose up at it all. However, she didn't think it was wise to eat any more than what was already on her plate. House-elves aside, the very last thing Rose wanted was to see the feast a second time in the bathroom later that night._

" _Hey, are you alright?" the girl next to Rose spoke again, her dirty blond hair falling into her face._

" _Me? I'm fine. Just sort of getting over the adrenaline rush. I'm not much of a stress eater."_

" _Oh, I see. Though I'm quite the opposite. I'm so excited, I could eat this whole platter of beignets all by myself!" said the girl._

" _You won't," another girl said from behind her._

" _You're right. I won't. But I could," the first girl assured the second. She turned back to Rose."I'm Sofie, by the way. What's your name?"_

" _Oh, I'm Rose Granger-Weasley."_

 _Sofie's big blue eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Granger-Weasley? As in, Hermione Granger, Minister of Magic?"_

 _Rose immediately regretted saying more than her first name. "Yes, that's my mum. And Ron Weasley's my dad."_

" _Oh my goodness, it's so great to meet you! I promise I was paying attention to the Sorting, but I guess I just missed the name-and-face association." Sofie turned and pointed a thumb at the girl behind her. "Lola here was helping to teach me about the big wizarding legends on the train ride today, since I'm a Muggle-born and I'm new to this whole thing. Your parents were best friends to—"_

" _Harry Potter, yeah. He married Dad's sister, so he's my uncle. In fact—James!" she called across the table, hoping to deflect some of the paparazzi to her cousin. James leaned to the side, mouth full of toasted bread, so he could see Rose around the plate of poultry that wasn't getting any shorter. "This is Sofie. She just learned about our parents today."_

 _James tried to flash a smile, but the half-chewed food in his mouth made it slightly less charming than he had intended._

" _Holy guacamole, James Potter!" Sofie exclaimed. Rose's nose scrunched up and she tilted her head at Sofie. Holy guacamole?_

" _The second," James added._

" _Look at all of us, Lola," Sofie turned back to greet the back of Lola's short black bob. "Gryffindors! We are the_ ultimate _good guys!"_

 _Rose twitched a little._ Keep an open mind, Rosie.

" _Oh brother, this again? I'm sorry I said anything at all." Lola rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her plate._

" _What, uh, what led you to that conclusion?" asked Rose. "Where Gryffindor equals 'good guys.'"_

" _Well, all the guys who sided with Voldemort were Slytherin, and all the guys who fought him were Gryffindor. So, naturally, Slytherins are the bad guys, right?"_

 _Lola whipped around. "Really?_ That's _what you got from my storytelling? Merlin's Beard, it's going to be a long year. Listen up, Sof. You can't go 'round just saying all Gryffindors are good and all Slytherins are bad. That's not how this works. In fact, in the—what is it, twenty?— twenty give-or-take years since Lord Voldemort's been gone very few Slytherins have been 'bad.' Besides, your House doesn't have to follow you your whole life. You can go through your seven years at Hogwarts and then live your life with immense pride in your house, or you can ditch it as soon as you're out. Choice is yours. And it certainly doesn't mean you're automatically good or bad. If it did, what would that make Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?"_

 _Rose stopped her train of thought. "You sure know what you're talking about," she said to Lola._

" _Just because you're the kid of the brightest witch of our parents' age, doesn't mean you're the only one who knows anything," said Lola. "My older sister was Gryffindor and will forever have scarlet decorations hanging up in her room. But my brother was Hufflepuff, and while he liked it there, it's just not that important to him now that he's in the workforce."_

" _Oh, I didn't mean—"_

" _Neither did I."_

 _Rose looked back at her plate. She still had a clump of potatoes growing cold on it._

" _Point is," Lola continued, "We're in Gryffindor. House of the brave. That's all that means for us. We're not any better than anyone else. No one else is evil because they're in the house of Salazar Slytherin. And someone will probably kick your behind if they overhear you talking like that."_

 _Sofie had clamped her mouth shut. They had only known each other a few minutes, but Rose could already tell shutting her mouth was not a common virtue Sofie possessed._

" _That's all I have to say about that," Lola finished abruptly._

" _Right. Sorry," said Sofie._

 _When the feast ended, and it seemed it never would, the Gryffindors were the first house escorted out of the Great Hall by their prefects. Rose took in every detail she could of the castle. She felt herself falling in love with every gold embellishment on the walls and every step she took on the moving staircases. Hogwarts castle was everything she had ever dreamed of and more. It was almost enough to take her mind off of her anxieties._

 _After telling the password ("Windowsill") to the portrait of the Fat Lady guarding the common room, the whole lot of students crawled inside. Their eyes were greeted with strong scarlets and cheery, welcoming golds on every piece of furniture, wall, and decoration. Sofie squealed and could hardly stand in one spot. Even Lola had a hint of a smile flicker across her lips._

 _Tonight was the first night of Rose's future. Tonight was the first night of Gryffindor._


End file.
